Lid detector



Nov. 19, 1968 R. D. GERB EN 3,411,521

LID DETECTOR Filed Oct. 6, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENIOR RALPH D. GERBEN ATTORNEY FIG. 1.

R. D. GERBEN Nov. 19, 1968 LID DETECTOR 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 6, 1966 INVENTOR RALPH D. GERBEN ATTORNEY R. D. GERBEN Nov. 19, 1968 LID DETECTOR 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 6. l96

F l G 5 INVENTOR RALPH D. GERBEN ATTORNEY Nov. 19, 1968 R. D. GERBEN 3,411,521

LID DETECTOR Filed Oct. 6, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4.

O V. F I G 0 7- Q I I RELAY L I (-1 r14 SOLENOID 79 85 87 Jk-q l RALPH 0. GERBEN INVENTOR ATTORNEY R. D. GERBEN Nov.19; 1968 LID DETECTOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 6. 1966 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 19, 1968 3,411,621 LID DETECTOR Baltimore, Md., assignor to Maryland Cup Corporation,

Maryland Filed Oct. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 584,704 Claims. (Cl. 20972) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lid detector is provided for containers normally having lids at the top of the containers prior to discharge from a container filling machine. The machine includes an inspection station where the containers are vertically moved on an elevator from a normal position to a position above the normal position. 'Iwo resiliently yieldable feelers are disposed in the vertical path of movement, one for the lid and the ot-her for the container. The rejection mechanism rejects the containers from the inspection station. This mechanism is normally inoperative but is rendered operative when the container feeler is actuated in the absence of actuation of the lid feeler.

This invention relates to sensing devices and it is more particularly adapted to devices for sensing deficiencies in articles being manufactured and for selectively rejecting such deficient articles.

The invention is particularly adapted to a machine of the type described in United States Patent No. 3,225,889 when used to manufacture articles having a lid at the top.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a sensing device and rejection means capable of operating automatically at a station of a container filling machine preceding the discharge station so that only properly formed articles will pass to the discharge station.

Another object is the provision of a device of the type mentioned which can function to detect a deficiency in any one or more articles of a given group and to reject the entire group upon detection of a deficiency in either article.

, A still further object is the provision of a device of the type mentioned which can be attached as a unit to an existing machine for manufacturing the articles.

A still further object is the provision of a device of the type mentioned which is sturdy, reliable and not likely to get out of order over prolonged periods of use.

These and still further objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description considered together with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention, partly in section, with a fragmentary portion of a machine to which it is adapted to be operationally attached.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 showing different positions of the embodiment in operation, some in broken lines.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view along the line 4--4 of FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view along the line 66 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a schematic wiring diagram illustrating the electrical circuit of the embodiment.

Referring to the drawing with more particularity, the embodiment, although applicable to other types of machines, is illustrated in relation to a preferred type of machine of said US. Patent No. 3,225,889. This machine comprises a horizontal loading wheel 10 provided with apertures 11 for holding containers 12 of the open top type. The containers are filled and closed with lids 12-A at various stations by auxiliary units (not shown) attached to the machine and removed at a discharge station 'by reciprocating elevators (not shown). The machine and its auxiliary units are adapted to operate on groups of two containers simultaneously, but obvious duplications can be made to operate on larger groups.

A driving gear 13 is contained in a housing 14 above the loading wheel 10. This housing is structurally capable of supporting various auxiliary units needed, including the device of the present invention.

An actual working embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the drawing and it comprises an enclosure unit 15 having as its bottom wall a beam 16 integral with and extending cantileverwise from an anchor head 17. The head 17 is provided with a vertical rotatable shaft 18, the lower end of which carriers a gear 19 in meshed relation with the driving gear 13. The upper end of the shaft 18 extends above the head 17 and carries another gear 20. The entire unit 15 is attached to the housing 14 by means of bolts 21 at the inspection station which precedes the discharge station.

The inspection station comprises a pair of elevator shafts 22, 22 surmounted by pods 23, 23 and by means of which the containers to be inspected are elevated from the apertures 11 in the loading wheel 10 and, unless rejected, are lowered to said apertures for subsesuent discharge by similar elevators at the discharge station shown in said Patent No. 3,225,889.

On the beam 16 at the inner end thereof there is rotatably mounted a gear 24 in meshed relation with the upper gear 20. A crank arm 25 has an inner ring 26 connected to the top of the gear 24 by means of bolts 27. The outer end of the crank arm 25 is pivoted by a pin 28 to one end of a connecting rod 29.

The opposite end of the rod 29 is pivotally connected to a shuttle carriage 30' by conventional means. The shuttle carriage 30 is reciprocally mounted on the beam 16 by means of rollers 31, operating in rail grooves 32, 32 along the sides of a central slot 34 of the beam 16.

The lower end of the shuttle carriage 30 extends through the slot 34 below the beam 16, and is provided with an opening 35 for engaging the upper horizontal end 36 of :an angle arm 37. The opposite end 38 of the arm 37 is bent to a vertical position. The end 36 is adjustably held in the opening 35 by means of a set screw 39.

The vertical end 38 is adapted to engage an opening 40 at the inner end of a horizontal arm 41 of a bracket 42. A set screw 42-A holds the bracket in adjusted position on the vertical end 38. The bracket also comprises a vertical arm 43 at the outer end of the arm 41. A solenoidunit 44 is connected by bolts 45 to the bracket arms 41 and 43. The unit 44 comprises a reciprocatable armature 46 at the bottom.

Below the arm 41 there is slidably mounted on the vertical end 38 a slide 47 biased to a normally upper position by means of a coil spring 48 connected at one end to an anchor post 49 of the slide and at the opposite end to an anchor post 59 of the arm 41.

The armature 46 is connected by a linkage to the slide 47. This linkage comprises a bent lever arm 51 having at one end a pivot pin 52 which engages a longitudinal slot 53 at the lower end of the armature. The other end of the arm 51 extends upwardly and rearw-ardly and is connected to the center of a cross-shaft 54. The ends of the shaft 54 are rigidly secured to the lower ends of parallel arms 55, 55. The upper ends of the arms 55, 55 are provided with rollers 56, 56 on their inner sides which engage horizontal guideways 57, 57 on opposite sides of the slide 47.

The linkage is constrained by pivotally connecting the arm 51 to an arm 58 of the bracket 42.

By these means, actuation of the solenoid armature 46 results in the slide 47 being moved downwardly on the vertical end of the arm 37 against the force of the spring 48.

Attached to the slide 47 are pushers, each comprising a pair of rake fingers 59, 59, the lower ends 60, 60 of which are bent forwardly to contact a container to be rejected. Each pair of fingers is carried on a cross bar 61, the inner end of which is welded to the slide 47.

The lower ends 60, 60 of these fingers normally lie in a horizontal plane above the uppermost position of the containers on the elevators 23. Hence, as the shuttle carriage 29 reciprocates the fingers normally ride over and free of the containers. However, when the solenoid armature 46 is actuated to its downward position the fingers are lowered to a position where they intercept the cups during the reciprocation of the shuttle carriage and dislodge the cups from the inspection station. (See FIG. 2).

Overlying each inspection station is a container feeler in the form of an elongated platen 62 extending outwardly from a rocker bracket 63. The inner ends of the platens 62 are secured to the bracket 63 by means of bolts 64. The bracket 63 has a central boss 65 which is pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft 66. The ends of the shaft 66 are mounted in forward ends of a bracket 67. The bracket 67 is supported by suspenders 68, 68 connected to the housing 14, one of which is provided with an alignment screw 69.

Adjacent the outer ends of the shaft 66 there are rotatably mounted block members 70, 70 to which there are secured by bolts 71, 71 the inner ends of fingers 72. These fingers extend outwardly over the platens 62, and they are provided each with a downwardly extending lip 73 as a lid feeler which passes through a slot 74 in each platen over its respective inspection station.

One end of a central rocker arm 75 is secured by bolts 76 to the rocker bracket 63, the opposite end being attached to the actuator 77 of the movable element 78 of a micro-switch 79.

The inner ends of additional rocker arms 80, 80 are attached to the block members 70, 70 respectively, the outer ends being attached to actuators 81, 81 of movable elements 82, 82 of micro-switches 83, 83 respectively.

The micro-switches 79 and 83, 83 are mounted on the bottom of the bracket 67 and their corresponding movable elements 78 and 82, 82 project upwardly through openings in the bracket 67 beneath their corresponding actuators 77 and 81, 81, respectively.

By these means upward movement of either of the platens 62 results in a closing of the microswitch 79; whereas, upward movement of the lips 73 causes the corresponding microswitches 83, 83 to close.

These microswitches are connected in an electrical circuit with the solenoid unit 44 as shown in the wiring diagram of FIG. 6.

In the normal operation, the presence of two lids on the containers causes both microswitches 83, 83 to close, which energizes a relay 84 to open a normally closed switch 85. As the containers move upward they press against the platens 62 resulting in a closing of the normally open microswitch 79. However, since the relay 84 has opened the normally closed relay switch 85, the circuit of the solenoid 44 is broken, thus precluding its actuation.

When the absence of a lid in either or both of the containers is detected, one or both of the switches 83, 83 remains open and, hence, the relay 84 is not energized. Thus, the switch 85 remains closed so that when the switch 79 is closed by one or both of the containers pushing upwardly against the platens 62, the solenoid circuit is closed through the closed microswitch 79 and relay switch 85. This has the effect of raising the armature 46 of the solenoid unit and lowering the fingers 59 in the path of the containers so that upon forward motion of the shuttle carriage 30 both containers are removed from the inspection station.

As the containers are in the process of being thus rejected, their walls contact the lips 73 and result in a. false actuation of the fingers 72, 72. If there are two cups present this will cause both microswitches 83, 83 to close, energizing the relay 84 and opening the switch 85. This would render the solenoid inoperative. Hence, the rejection could not be completed because the solenoid armature would be returned to its initial lower position. To overcome this, a second relay 86 is connected in the circuit in parallel with the solenoid unit 44. This relay 85 on being energized closes a normally open switch 87 in parallel with the relay switch 85. Hence, the solenoids operation is retained until the rejection is completed.

If only one cup is present instead of the two, only one of the switches 83 would be closed. Hence, the relay 84 would remain inactive and the operation of the relay 85 would be reddundant. The single cup would then be rejected by actuation of the solenoid unit.

I claim.

1. A device of the character described comprising members defining an inspection station for a container normally having a lid at its top, means at said station for displacing a container vertically from a normal position to a secondary inspection position, a lid feel'er comprising resiliently yieldable means in the vertical path of movement of the lid of the container between said normal and said secondary position, a container feeler comprising another resiliently yieldable means in the vertical path of movement of the container wall between the said normal position and secondary position, a rejection mechanism for displacing containers from the inspection station, said mechanism being normally inoperative, and means for rendering said mechanism operative when said container feeler is actuated in the absence of actuation of said lid feeler.

2. A device as defined by claim 1 in which the means for displacing the ocntainer at the inspection station comprises an elevator for supporting and raising the container above its normal position.

3. A device as defined by claim 1 in which a group of the containers to be inspected are displaced from their normal position to a secondary inspection position, in which a lid feeler and a container feeler is provided for each container of the group and in which the rejection mechanism is rendered inoperative for all containers of the group in the absence of actuation of any one lid feeler of the group.

4. A device as defined by claim 1 and means for retaining the rejection mechanism operative on false actuation of the lid feelers while the cups are being rejected.

5. A device as defined by claim 2 in which the rejection mechanism comprises a rake mounted for reciprocation in a path over the containers at the inspection station, means for lowering the rake to a level aligned with the containers and resiliently yieldable means for normally holding the rake in the elevated position above the containers.

6. A device as defined by claim 5 in which the rejection mechanism comprises a solenoid having an armature and means connecting the armature to the rake to lower the rake against the force of said resiliently yieldable means.

7. A device as defined by claim 6 comprising an electrical circuit containing a normally open first switch and means for closing said switch on actuation of the container feeler, a normally open second switch and means for closing said second switch on actuation of the lid feeler, said solenoid being in series with said first switch and with a normally closed relay switch, said relay switch being in series with said second switch.

8. A device as defined by claim 7 and a second relay in parallel with the solenoid, a normally open third switch responsive to closure by said second relay, said third switch being in parallel with said normally closed switch, whereby actuation of the solenoid will, when started, be retained by the closing of the second switch against false actuation of the lid feelers.

9. A device as defined by claim 7 in which the lid feeler and the container feeler are each mounted on a separate rockable member of a supporting shaft and actuators for the microswitches mounted on the rockable members, respectively.

10. A device as defined by claim 1 in which the container feeler comprises an elongated platen overlying the inspection station, said platen having an opening there- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Fedorchak et al. 209-111.7 X

Hofstetter et al 209-90 Huntar et a1 209-90 Hanot et a1 209-80 Fry 209111.7 Whitacre 209-88 Johnson et al. 209-111.7 X Eggers 209-82 Sorbie 209-111.7 X Mathias 209111.7 X Ochs 209-90 through, and in which the lid feeler comprises a member 15 M BENSON WOOD JR Primary Examiner overlying the container feeler and having a portion thereof projecting through and below the opening.

J. P. MULLINS, Assistant Examiner. 

